K'Gari Birthday

As we all want on our birthdays, the day began with an early start. I got up just before 6am so I could get ready for our morning briefing at 7am. There were interesting parts to the briefing but mainly a long list of rules – which is always what one wants to start their bday with! However the worst part was finding out we weren’t actually leaving until 11am because of the tides or whatever, so I could of had a couple extra hours of sleep. Anyway, a load of us head to the local bar for some breakfast and to watch the first half of the Super Bowl that’s on. I start my day extra healthy with a doughnut and a few beers bought for me by some of the girls. After my calorific brekkie we head back to the jeeps and I am given a birthday card from the group which is filled with lovely messages. Once we are in the jeeps it’s to the ferries and then onto the camp. It is a rather painful drive for me as the beers I had for breakfast instantly go through me and I am desperate for a pee. Once we are at camp we get our bags out and choose our tents, I am bunking with Matt for the next couple days, lucky him!

The next day I wake up feeling surprisingly good considering, no hangover and rather refreshed. I help myself to a nice cuppa tea in the kitchen and get ready for the days adventures. Once we are all ready we are back in the jeeps heading to a lazy river which the team enjoy with the blow up rings most of us got back at Noosa. We even spot a few sea critters and an eel at one point. Then muck around with a ball on the beach before heading into town for lunch. It is a basic but nice lunch, make it yourself sandwiches and I treat myself to a beer to wash it down. Our next stop is the famous SS Maheno a steamship used to freight between New Zealand and Australia before being used as a hospital ship during WW1. The shipwreck is a quick stop on the way to the Champagne Pools, so called because of the bubbles created by the waves coming over the rocks, one of the few safe places to swim in sea water on the island. That being said we are accompanied by a few different jellyfish one of which I believe stung me. After splashing around in the pools and seeing some of the Fraser Islands infamous dingoes when getting out we head back to camp for steak night which is surprisingly good and the first meal I’ve cooked myself in I don’t know how long. After dinner it is time for more drinking games, about five hours of them in fact, before my final night in a tent for what I hope is a while.

It is another early start and once again I feel pretty good despite the alcohol, maybe there is something to be said about all this fresh sea air, active lifestyle and being close to nature. I get up and help myself to a shower and what I mean by shower in these circumstances is sharing a hose with Matt, Aron and Charlie. After which I pack all my stuff up and load up the jeep and enjoy a long drive to another lake called Tea Tree Lake. One thing I have learnt while travelling is I have a pretty impressive ability to sleep almost anywhere. The pinnacle of this skill may well be in these jeeps as I have apparently been falling asleep in the back leaning against my arm which is holding on to the handle above the door whilst the motion of the not so even road is making my head bounce off the window in an apparently rather loud manner, all of which I manage to sleep through. Once we arrive at the lake, me maybe somewhat concussed, the group enjoy a soak. After, we have our final meal on the island, more loaded sandwiches and crisps which once again, given we are on an island, are surprisingly fresh and good. After that we are back in the jeeps and on to the ferry. Before you know it we are back in our hostel in Rainbow the last few days having flown by in a blur. Once back at the hostel I get some much needed laundry done before settling down for an also much needed good nights sleep.

Steps down to Lake McKenzie

I think I won the shit shirt show

Second birthday cake of the day

Just the stars... and the jeep's headlights

Lazy River

Birthday Doughnut

Then we are back in the jeeps and head to lake Mckenzie where we have a lovely swim and splash about. After we are done in the lake we are back to camp for some bbq burgers and drinks. After dinner it is time for shit shirt night, we all exchange shirts and have a good laugh at each others expense. I have to say I think Alex comes off the worst, getting a full baby outfit from Dan, but he is a good sport about it. After, I am lucky enough to get a bday brownie with some candles and we spend the night drinking, chatting and playing different drinking games. The night ends with a group trip to the beach to look up at the stars and cosmos, enjoying the lack of light pollution. I have to admit I always get a little blue on my birthday, I am not sure why but drinks and star gazing with new friends definitely isn’t a bad way to spend it. Neither is sharing a tent with Matt to be fair, but I will never admit that to his face.

SS Maheno shipwreck

Dingoes mingling with the bathers

Jellyfish at Champagne Pools

Back to camp

Tea Tree Lake